V I S I O N A R Y
by Simpering
Summary: Two WindClan warriors are caught up in a deadly plot against the WindClan leader—can their deceased father uncover an answer through his own past before it’s too late?
1. the vision

`` V I S I O N A R Y

&& watch my life unfold

in a vision of time

_Two WindClan warriors are caught up in a deadly plot against the WindClan leader—can their deceased father uncover an answer through his own past before it's too late?_

**Russetstripe—the father of two of my favorite cats.**

**I figured it was time for HIS story to come out.**

**Story takes place in the original forest**

**LONG after Firestar becomes a gross skeleton.**

**I own Russeh, Orange, and Asseh.**

**I do not own Tallstar or Warriors—that's Erin Hunter.**

**I also don't own Fickle or Blackie. They belong to Streakz.**

**If you take my characters I'll butcher you and eat your children.**

**And if you don't have children then you get lucky.**

**…**

**If you take Streakz's characters it'll be even worse.**

**Because we'll both come after you and kill you.**

**And I'll eat your uncle. Yumm, uncles and children.**

**Got it? 8D Simp out. –salutes-**

* * *

p r o l o g u e – the vision.

A figure sat before the rippling surface of the silver pool, a silhouette whose featureless black form grew detail as the watcher grew closer. What had been fur of neutral tone became dark ginger, what could have been any animal became recognizable as that of a longhaired tomcat—his flamelike orange eyes focused within the depths of the water. Faint brown stripes ran through his ginger pelt, solid but for the white snip slicing up his nosebridge and the snow-colored paws he held tucked underneath him. Stars glittered in his pelt, in his eyes, marking him as a cat who no longer walked the earth—but the sky.

The cat who had once led WindClan stopped at the other tom's side, flicking his long black-and-white tail in greeting. The ginger warrior looked up after a moment, and his eyes were respectful. "Tallstar," he meowed, dipping his head, "It has been long since you've come to the viewing pools."

Tallstar nodded slowly, curling his tail around his dark paws as he seated himself by Russetstripe. "WindClan is in good paws now—it is long past my time to deal in the affairs of the living. I can walk the skies without fear for my Clan, or for this forest now." His breezy sigh made the other warrior look up again, startled.

"Then why are you here, friend?"

"It came to my attention that a certain StarClan tom's decendants were wreaking havoc on WindClan," Tallstar said, chuckling slightly when Russetstripe flattened his ears in chagrin. "I must admit I was curious as to what they're doing and what you might know about it."

With a sigh, the ginger tomcat sat back, rasping his pink tongue over one hueless paw and scraping it over an ear. "Wreaking havoc is an exaggeration," he objected indignantly, to which the legendary WindClanner chuckled. "But yes, I'm watching them. I have faith in them—they won't make the same mistakes I made. Ah, but look at them—I wish I could be there, to help them—to guide them!" His voice was rueful, and once again Tallstar's curiosity was aroused.

"Forgive me, Russetstripe—?" Those firey amber eyes blinked reluctantly before in the traditional gesture, he swept his tail across Tallstar's eyes. The black-and-white leader looked down and gazed into the pool.

The first scene was of a she-cat hurtling down the moor, presumably Russetstripe's daughter. Her fur was of a brighter ginger and her throat and muzzle were both as white as the warrior's paws, but they had those same flickering amber eyes. Her slender frame and long fur held that same inherent attraction as did her father's.

"She's beautiful. Your daughter, correct?" Tallstar asked. Russetstripe nodded, pride filling his eyes.

"Her name's Orangeflash—and the name fits her. Oh, I wish I'd gotten to know her as she is now—but the closest I can get is watching her through this viewing pool." The dark ginger warrior's voice had a ring of tragic sorrow in it, and Tallstar let the tip of his tail rest on the other tom's shoulder for a moment—he'd passed hundreds of moons ago, but still that ache of knowing how disconnected he was to his Clan hung within his heart.

The legendary leader turned his eyes back to the pool, where Russetstripe's daughter was still racing across the moor. The sky was growing dim as dusk fell, but there was no way she could be missed—her vivid orange fur shone like a brand of fire as her white paws touched down on the Thunderpath.

"Where's she going?" Tallstar asked, interested, leaning in.

"Here."

The pool's vision rippled and changed—and Tallstar started in surprise. "That's Ficklestar!" He was long disconnected from the cats of his Clan, but he knew the current leader when he saw him—the small tortoiseshell with the traumatic past. Flanking him was a tall white warrior with black patches. "And who's he?"

"Blackblizzard," Russetstripe answered absentmindedly, "Ficklestar's jerk of a brother. And that cat there, in the lead—that's my son, Assassin."

Leading the two siblings was a thin, spidery black tomcat. He was silent as he moved, not so much as a whisper of sound escaping him, and that made chills run down Tallstar's spine. "That's a rogue," he said numbly, eyes passing over the tattered ears, the scars passing over that inky pelt.

"No. That's a warrior."

"How did a rogue become a warrior?! How is he your _son?_"

Russetstripe sighed and paused the scene—and now Tallstar saw what he had not before, the flamelike figure of Orangeflash racing towards them from the other direction, no more than a pinprick of light but surely in pursuit. What was happening?

Those flamelike eyes of the StarClan tom turned on the former WindClan leader. In his day, no cat would have dared to meet Tallstar eye-to-eye in the bold way that this warrior did—but then again, Russetstripe had always been cocky. And in StarClan, all were equal.

"That is a long story, Tallstar. And doubtless over the centuries you have heard many of them—it is sure to bore you."

That was true, but the leader had to know. "Russetstripe," Tallstar said with a sigh, "A rogue is leading the WindClan leader and his notably treacherous brother into a city full of twolegs, and your daughter's mixed up in this all as well. I think I deserve to hear _why._"

A long, level glance was passed between them before the dark ginger warrior replied curtly. "Very well. I was a fool—a cocky, attractive, good-for-nothing fool." The waters of the pool rippled again and a new scene formed within it—and this was neither Russetstripe's night-painted son nor flame-tinted daughter, but the StarClan cat himself, as he'd been in life. Tallstar leaned forward and watched Russetstripe's tale unfold.

* * *

_w r i t e r c o m m e n t s -_

**Hey. Review.**

**If you hate it you should at least tell me how to make it better.**

**If you love it then you're useless, don't even bother.**

**Just kidding. Seriously—click that button.**

**It's staring at you. It's hungry for clicks.**

**Yum yum.**


	2. the gathering

`` V I S I O N A R Y

&& it was one thing

i just couldn't do.

_Two WindClan warriors are caught up in a deadly plot against the WindClan leader—can their deceased father uncover an answer through visions of his own past before it's too late?_

**More characters are introduced here—**

**I own them ALL. Do NOT steal.**

**You'll wake up with a fork in your head.**

**A very pointy fork! With four prongs!**

**I still don't own Warriors or Tallstar.**

**Though I love both dearly.**

**That hasn't changed, I believe.**

**I'm mainly writing this for myself.**

**So I'm not going to pine if you don't review.**

**But still do it. Seriously. I'll nag you.**

**It'll inspire me ROFL.**

* * *

c h a p t e r o n e – the gathering.

Three Clans stood in the hollow, a buzz of conversation humming through the winter air. "WindClan is late!" a white-and-gray RiverClanner growled, watery blue eyes filtering through the crowd of multicolored pelts. There were no small, rangy cats mingled with the rest, and no sign of the WindClan leader on the rock. It was not merely a case of the fourth Clan arriving last—the moon was past the high, and cats were beginning to get restless.

"Here they are!" the yowl cut through the crowd as the Clans in relief turned to the fourth side of the hollow, down which poured the thin, wind-blown pelts of the moorland cats. The dark leader leapt up on the rock, where he had a short conversation with the other leaders.

Suddenly a ripple of excitement passed through the crowd and a dark ginger tomcat slipped through—large for a WindClan cat, his ruff of long, fluffy orange fur flaring around his face as he looked around him. He was a cat who was always smiling, flashing those alabaster teeth—but today he was more reserved, merely cool as he passed by the other warriors.

There was a kind of magnetism to him, to his flamelike eyes, to the way he walked—and you could tell it was not intentional. That didn't matter—where he passed the eyes of she-cats followed in fascination, the gazes of tomcats narrowed in distrust. "Hi Russetstripe!" a young warrior from ThunderClan mewed breathlessly, cutting into his path so he had to draw up short. "Evening, Thistleheart," he purred as he slipped past her, his long fur brushing up against her for a moment as he kept going, leaving her awed in his wake with the eyes of a dozen jealous she-cats on her.

"Who's _that?"_ A female ShadowClan apprentice asked in wonder to the white WindClan warrior sitting next to her. The WindClanner groaned and rolled her eyes.

"That's Russetstripe, the cockiest, vainest, most _idiodic_ tom I've ever met," she said dryly. The apprentice looked up in surprise at the older she-cat, her green eyes disgustedly following the younger tom as he mewed greetings right and left.

"What's wrong with him?" the ShadowClan cat asked, a little put off.

"Everything."

"How so?"

"He's _disgusting._ All he has to do is smile at a she-cat and they're willing to go jump off the gorge for him…" she trailed off and let out a hiss of chagrin—she hadn't meant to let that slip. The apprentice gave the snowy warrior a confused look, but they were broken up as the leaders yowled for attention.

"Cats of all Clans!" the WindClan leader yowled, "I apologize for our being late, one of our warriors was killed in a terrible accident tonight and we were holding vigil for her soul. Cloudflight rests in StarClan." A gasp of surprise ran around the Clans— and several looked at the white she-cat, who lifted her chin and looked stubborn.  
"I'm so sorry, Icetail," A cat to her left murmured, "You must have been close to your sister."  
"Not really," the white she-cat said dryly, "I don't like stupid cats." This took the cat aback and he was silent thereafter as the gathering went on.

"Was it really an accident?" the ShadowClan apprentice asked after a minute, quietly. A moment of silence passed before Icetail shook her head.

"No," she said quietly, bitterly, "She meant to do it. Because if _he_ wouldn't take her, she didn't want anyone." Her eyes pinpointed the flamelike pelt of Russetstripe out in the crowd and the ShadowClan she-cat followed her gaze silently, numbly. "He's too good for anyone—and he's too stupid to even realize what he did. And nobody has the heart to tell him."

Icetail gritted her teeth. "But I do. Cloudflight was my sister—stupid as she was—and I won't let anyone else go the way of her. Russetstripe's got to wake up—and I'm going to wake him."

The ShadowClan she-cat nodded her head after a moment. "I don't blame you." Her little voice was hushed. "I don't blame you."

There was respect in that voice, which surprised the older she-cat. They did not speak again.

"That was my first sin," Russetstripe said in a soft tone to Tallstar, who turned his head towards the ginger tomcat.

"You were quite popular," he observed in his deep voice, eyes lingering on the image in the water of the bitter she-cat and the smiling tomcat in the crowd.

"Yes," the StarClan cat said tiredly. "I was. And see how it served me." Bitterness saturated his tone as the leader once again flicked him comfortingly.

"She killed herself?" Tallstar asked softly. Russetstripe nodded, throat tightening as the memories came to him.

"She said she loved me. I didn't know… I didn't understand… I was young and arrogant and so… stupid. I didn't know what she would do."

"I don't blame Icetail."

"I don't either."  
"Is there more?"  
"Are you kidding, Tallstar? We've only just begun."

* * *

_w r i t e r c o m m e n t s -_

**I am not a fan of the rain.**

**Especially at the same time as snow.**

**It's not a healthy combination.**

**Lol. You should review.**

**Look! A review button.**

**What a coincidence.**

**It's destiny. Click it.**

**Or StarClan will smite thee!**


	3. the truth

`` V I S I O N A R Y

&& lost myself in a world

apart from reality

_Two WindClan warriors are caught up in a deadly plot against the WindClan leader—can their deceased father uncover an answer through visions of his own past before it's too late?_

**My charries. Don't touch them.**

**Except those aforementioned that belong to Streakz.**

**Don't touch them either, actually.**

**Tallstar and Warriors are not mine.**

**Credit for the events of the 'present' are shared equally with Streakzes.**

**Take ANYTHING and I'll come after you with a weed whacker.**

**That would be one painful death, dude. OUCH**

**Hurts just thinkin' about it. So don't do it. Lol.**

* * *

c h a p t e r t w o – the truth.

The silver surface of the pool flashed, swirled—and Tallstar abruptly found himself looking once more at the scene in the present, where the ginger form of Russetstripe's daughter hurled herself across the moor to stop what happened below.

"What's going on here?" he asked the younger StarClanner, whose tail was twitching in agitation.

"There's a rogue," Russetstripe murmured, not to Tallstar but to the trio of cats moving still unawarely into the city, "There's a rogue… turn back… don't trust him…"

"Russetstripe, what's _happening?_"

Even as he said it, Tallstar saw another glint of ginger in the scene behind a shabby white twoleg den. He thought at first it was Orangeflash arriving at last, but he was wrong—for a moment later a ginger tabby of massive size flickered past, stealthily creeping past one of the thornbushes. And there was nothing sane in those glittering eyes.

"Stay there, Assassin…" the StarClan warrior meowed desperately.

"Russetstripe! If you want to help, you're going to have to do more than stare into that pool yelling at your children that can't hear you!"

That accusing pair of forest-green eyes turned onto Tallstar, but a moment later that harsh glint faded into weary agreement. "Very well. Let's go back to me, as I was once—back when I still walked the forest as a warrior."

^^ : ^^

"Northpaw!" the small gray apprentice scrambled up in the den to meet Icetail's foreboding gaze.

"Yes, Icetail?" the little tom asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Has something happened to Russetstripe?" The white she-cat muttered to herself, something that sounded like "No, but he's about to." In a louder tone, she meowed, "I'm taking you out training this morning, Northpaw—Russetstripe's busy." Her voice was saturated with disgust.

"Okay. Where is he?"

"I have no idea. But he has no business neglecting his apprentice."

One could tell by the scene that Northpaw was now quite used to his mentor's fickle nature and merely followed meekly in the older she-cat's path as Icetail prowled back out into the main camp.

The scene skipped their training, but it was obvious from the mere glimpse Tallstar saw that Icetail was an adept, experienced warrior, and Northpaw would be much the better for Russetstripe's neglect—wherever he was.

What was happening resumed—the two had obviously just finished their training session and both were breathing heavily from whatever scuffle the two had just completed. "Good job for today, Northpaw," Icetail praised, and Northpaw fluffed up his smoky fur in pride. The two began to pad back across the moor—and then they saw him.

The young, dark amber warrior in all his glory—the rays of the sun illuminating his ruff of ginger fur in golden light. He was surrounded by a crowd of his buddies—and it was obvious this was no hunting patrol.

"Hey, Russetstripe," one of the warriors asked, "Is it true that the deputy of ThunderClan came up to you and asked for a tuft of your fur?" a meow of laughter rippled through the circle and the young tom smirked.

"It seems no she-cat can resist my, mmmm, magnetism," the faintly striped tomcat boasted, waving his plumy tail in a way that made Icetail pause and her eyes light up with fury.

"Are you ever going to choose one?" one slightly jealous tomcat asked. Russetstripe gave him one of those winning smiles that made even Tallstar frustrated with the stupid cat.

"Ah, but I have such a wide _variety_ to pick from! I'll have to wait a little longer." Northpaw was shrinking back behind Icetail, realizing for perhaps the first time that Russetstripe wasn't just too busy to train him—he didn't _care._

Maybe that was what set Icetail off. Tallstar didn't know why she'd waited so long—perhaps she felt sorry for the young warrior's idiocy. Perhaps she and her sister hadn't gotten along. Whatever had happened, that white she-cat wasn't going to wait a minute longer to stalk up to Russetstripe and tell him something no cat had ever told him before—the truth.

"You _stupid_ piece of FOXDUNG!" Russetstripe turned his head in surprise to see a blizzard of ice and alabaster fur streaking at him. His hazel-green eyes widened with shock. His friends thought this was hilarious, and started shouting out comments. "Looks like Icetail doesn't like getting rejected!" One particularly witty one cried out right before she clobbered him on the side of the head.

"Go back to camp, all of you!" she snarled, "I'll be talking to the leader about all of you _pitiful_ warriors." As their senior they had to obey, and their ears paled at the thought of her influence. Icetail was a very influential she-cat—she'd been a candidate for deputy and had lost only because she'd gotten in trouble around that time fighting with a RiverClan she-cat.

"Get BACK here, Russetstripe!" the alabaster warrior shrieked, and the young tom froze from where he'd been slinking off to. There was no shame in his position as he turned, that strangely attractive mix of cockiness and arrogance in his face.

"Yes?" he purred, tone becoming alluring, eyes shining for a moment. Obviously he thought he could win her like he'd won every other she-cat, even toms, to his beauty. He thought wrong.

Icetail hit him so hard he flew back feet into the air and came down hard, knocking the wind out of him.

Tallstar nearly cheered.

"You're an idiot." The raw disgust in the warrioress's tone made Russetstripe look up—utter shock erasing the seduction in his expression. "I don't know how you even got your warrior name, except maybe you charmed your mentor—you're _worthless._ You're too busy strutting around to hunt, you're too much of a coward to fight. You've shown _quite clearly_ how good of a mentor you are." Her eyes flickered back to Northpaw, who was sitting quietly, shocked, up on the knoll.

"I…" Russetstripe sputtered, beginning to be offended. Nobody had _ever_ spoken to him like that before.

"All you can do is break hearts and ruin lives," Icetail spat, "You're too stupid to realize what you're _doing._ You know Cloudflight threw herself off the gorge because of _you?_ You know how many kits have been born since _you_ started flirting with every cat to look in your direction?" Her accusation filtered into Russetstripe and he was crouching suddenly, gasping.

"I… Cloudflight died because of _me?"_ his shock and horror was obvious.

"Yes." Icetail bared her teeth. "And she was pregnant with your cursed kits_. _It broke her heart when you told her you didn't want to be with her anymore—she was going to tell you. _You killed her, Russetstripe._ And you have the nerve to brag about it._"_

It was the final straw and Russetstripe broke, opened his jaws in a wail of agony. "No!" he wailed, "No!"

The senior warrior shook her head. She had nothing to say. "Come on, Northpaw," she meowed, and stunned, the apprentice trailed behind her. He didn't even look back at the broken, crumpled figure of flame-colored fur and pain crouched on the ground.

As they reached the crest of the hill for a moment the young apprentice glanced back as a howl split the air, a howl of raw sorrow and grief that made Tallstar recoil with the pain of it as he saw the dark ginger figure turn, run, fly away from the camp and the plains with his cry of agony winding, echoing, behind him.

^^ : ^^

Tallstar for a moment touched the other tom with his tail and looked him over with his clear amber eyes. Russetstripe was older—more mature. More experienced. That experience of 'not being loved' had been good for him, he thought.

"I was an idiot. She was right." The cat's eyes were filled with empty pain. "I wasted my life. And now I'm wasting my death, perched over this cursed hole in the sky, watching my children destroying themselves." The empty lack of hope in his tone infuriated Tallstar.

"You're an idiot if you give up," the black-and-white leader growled, to which Russetstripe straightened up. "You're right," the tom agreed.

"To make things short—I left the Clan. I was broken—broken and hurting, because I'd been living in some kind of fantasy land. Some kind of imaginary place where I had all the she-cats I wanted, where nobody ever said a harsh word to me, where I was surrounded by friends and admirers and I could do no wrong."

"You left?"

"I ran. I ran away. Icetail said I was a coward. I was about to prove her right." The next scene began to form and Tallstar leaned forward to watch as far from escaping his troubles with his cursed good looks rogue and loner she-cats followed in Russetstripe's wake, rain and snow woke the spoiled warrior up to the real world outside of the Clan. At long last, the cat found a large, faded red twoleg den and curled up within to sleep.

The barn was not without previous occupants, however…

* * *

_w r i t e r c o m m e n t s –_

**Lol Russetstripe is an idiot.**

**Review! Please Hahaha**

**I have no reviews which I find amusing.**

**I think I'm the only one who's read this.**

**-rofl- I'm quite amused. Anyway.**

**If you have the urge—REVIEW WOOT.**

**I'm not gonna beg.**

**I'm proud, like Icetail. And Demon, who you will meet soon.**

**But I might mention that I still have that weed whacker.**

**And I'll zing it at your face. I can do that you know.**

**8D lol I worked hard on it so help me out, man.**


	4. the runaway

`` V I S I O N A R Y

&& there's a doorway where we run

it's not over when it's just begun

_Two WindClan warriors are caught up in a deadly plot against the WindClan leader—can their deceased father uncover an answer through visions of his own past before it's too late?_

**Demon is MINE.**

**If you take her you'll get shot.**

**If you lay a paw on Russet I'll bite it off.**

**Stay away from Icetail and Northpaw.**

**Assassin is my buddy, don't touch him.**

**We're best friends 3 Simpy + Asseh foreverrrrr.**

**Orange can take care of herself.**

**If you try to take her she'll do a lot worse than I could.**

**So THERE. Haha. Enjoy.**

**Tallstar ISN'T MINE I'm just borrowing him.**

**Hey, even StarClanners get bored.**

**'Specially generations after they died.**

**They get nosy into cats' stories and stuff.**

**I don't own Warriors, obviously.**

**XD I'm having fun writing this lol.**

* * *

c h a p t e r t h r e e – the runaway.

When he awoke, it was to the sight of a pair of dark paws in front of his face. Slowly he cleared his jade-green eyes and followed those paws up an inky chest and finally to a sharp, angular black face with alert green eyes.

"Hello, handsome," the she-cat purred, stretching luxuriously. "What brings you to _my_ barn?"

"Oh, _great,_" Russetstripe muttered, hauling himself to his feet. "I'm here because," he began loudly right before the shadowy rogue tackled him and dug four pairs of dark claws into his fur.

"I don't care why you're here!" she screeched, "GET OUT!"

Well, this was certainly a different reaction to Russetstripe, Tallstar thought as fascinated he watched their battle. Icetail hadn't exactly been generous describing Russetstripe's fighting skills—true, the young warrior wasn't exactly _adept…_ well, to be perfectly honest, he was terrible—but his desperate fight's savagery and energy added a significant amount of ability to his skills, and along with the difference between he and the she-cat's health they were fairly well matched.

"Hang on a second," Russetstripe gasped as he dodged one of her furious assaults, "I'm sure sorry—I didn't mean to trespass, uh, miss—I didn't know there was anyone here!"

The black she-cat paused for a moment and began to laugh. "Miss?" she sputtered, and then thought about it, seeming to rather like it after a moment. "I'm Demon," she meowed. "And to be fair, I didn't own this barn until this morning—drove out all the little rats that were nesting in it last night and came back after sunrise." She glowered at him. "But still-- you're trespassing, love." Her claws came back out of her sheathes and she bunched her legs under her, ready to fight.

"I'm sorry, Demon," Russetstripe meowed, backing away, "I'll be going—no need to fight." He went a little too fast and tripped, falling onto his back. Demon wound her way around him and crouched over his fallen body.

"Well now," she purred, "Let's not be like that, then." She looked him over. "Say—I could use a good-looking tomcat like you around here. The more ratters the better." She gave him a shrewd look. "You can catch rats, right?"

Russetstripe realized she was offering him a place to stay and jumped on it. "I've never actually caught a rat, uh, Demon," he meowed, "I'm new to uh, this place…" he stumbled over his words and the black she-cat snorted.

"Hmmph. Well, I guess you'll learn," she said reculantly and moved off his chest so he could sit up and smooth down his ruffled fur. "Leafbare's coming. I'll need somebody to keep me nice and warm when all that snow falls." She winked at him and Russetstripe almost fainted as she padded away.

_But what can he do?_ Tallstar thought, very much amused. _She's giving him a home. And he's learning._ Traumatizing as his experience in Twolegplace might be, Russetstripe might learn how to be a true warrior—by being a rogue.

^^ : ^^

"You know who that looks like…" Tallstar said after a moment of staring keenly at the black she-cat's angular features. "That looks like… nah. But it can't be." The rippling picture changed back to those three cats trekking through Twolegplace. The thin, dark tomcat that Russetstripe had claimed to be his son was slinking into one of the dwellings, leading the WindClan leader and his brother unprotected.

Russetstripe slowly nodded as the black-and-white tomcat compared mentally those two images—Demon and Russetstripe's son. Demon was not a terribly attractive she-cat, and she'd passed down her basic features to their son, but there was something about the ragged, shadowy form of Assassin that suggested Russetstripe. The way he moved, the set of his ears, his eyes. Curiously perfect, though he was obviously at home there in the city.

"Demon was my mate for several moons," Russetstripe confirmed in a strange, detatched tone. Tallstar glanced curiously over and saw the guilt in his eyes.

"So you had a son," the former WindClan leader meowed, nodding his head in understanding. "But… Assassin? Why the name?"

Bitterness saturated the russet StarClanner's tone as he meowed, "You'll see." Tallstar caught the quickest glimpse of that giant ginger tomcat in the bushes step towards the two waiting out on the lawn, caught a glimpse of a smile on that crazy rogue's face as he moved towards Ficklestar and Blackblizzard, before Russetstripe's past flooded back into the pool and into Tallstar's head.

* * *

_w r i t e r c o m m e n t s –_

**Russet is a jerky.**

**And I hate Spanish. Really.**

**And wow sorry it's so short lol.**

**I'm putting it in little-over-a-thousand-word segments.**

**It's a short story haha so it has short chapters.**

**This is one of those short chapters that are REALLY short.**

**Enjoy. And review.**

**Or hate and review.**

**Or DON'T review and it'll all be the same to me lol.**


	5. the purpose

`` V I S I O N A R Y

&& it's a tangled forest full of thorns

open your eyes, your heart, your mind.

_Two WindClan warriors are caught up in a deadly plot against the WindClan leader—can their deceased father uncover an answer through visions of his own past before it's too late?_

**All my characters are, obviously, mine.**

**Russet, Demon, etc. You know.**

**All Erin Hunter's characters are, obviously, hers.**

**That means Tallstar. And Warriors.**

**All PRESENT events—that is to say, Fickle and Black**

**And all those things that appear in the pool**

**Credit is SHARED with Streakz, who schemed along with me**

**In our creation of that insane plot.**

**HOWEVER- the insane plot of RUSSET'S life is all ME**

**So. Don't steal.**

**Or I'll FREEEEEEAK –spazzout-**

**Thank you to the people who reviewed 8D**

**It made my heart warm lolol I really appreciate it.**

**And as for you people who didn't review –clicks tongue-**

**Demon's gonna come eat you in your sleep.**

**Lol. Kidding. She wouldn't eat you.**

**Not while you were sleeping, anyway.**

* * *

c h a p t e r f o u r – the purpose.

When next the pool's milky depths cleared, an unbroken stretch of snow covered the ground in a cloak of blinding white. A thin black form stood out, infinitely dark, against the icy expanse—she padded towards the barn with the skinny body of a rat clamped in her jaws, triangular head held high as she returned to her home.

That dark ginger form was waiting for Demon at the entrance, and far from the frightened, semi-disgusted look in the tom's jade eyes that Tallstar had observed last when he'd encountered the aggressive rogue… he seemed rather relieved to see her.

"You're back!" he meowed, relaxing, as she pushed past him into the warmer space within. Her inky fur was frosted with flakes of the blizzard outside, and she shook her pelt to clear it, sending snow flying in all directions.

"Sorry to scare you, kitty," she meowed, flicking him with the tip of her dark tail as she dropped the rodent on the ground. "I caught you a rat. Catch me any?" Her voice was slightly mocking, but she certainly seemed at least friendlier than last time.

Russetstripe flattened his ears in shame, and Demon snorted, not needing to hear an answer. Tallstar could tell by the set of his head that the ginger cat was expecting at the very least a lecture—he noted there were a few more scars on the former-WindClanner's pelt since last he'd seen him. But the shadowy fela surprised him.

"Mmph. Well, I guess that's okay," the rogue meowed critically. "I barely caught _this_ one, after all, and had to chase it out in the city." Russetstripe flicked an ear in surprise, purring slightly at the not-praise. Demon scowled and clonked him with a paw to still his pleasure, but seemed to be in a good mood.

"Here. You can have it," Russetstripe told her, which surprised even Tallstar. Demon started in place, her eyes widening for a moment—apparently she wasn't used to the former-WindClanner being generous, especially with the level of hunger he'd surely demonstrated during the transition from warrior to rogue. She darted forward and started to take it in her mouth, but hesitated for a moment.

"Well, can't have you starving either," Demon muttered almost to herself and straightened up. "Say—why don't we share it?" She blinked as if she was shocked to hear the words coming out of her own mouth—'sharing' was not something that was practiced in the rogue culture. It seemed while Demon wore off on the young tomcat, he was wearing off on her, which could only be a good thing, Tallstar thought.

Blinking in astonishment, but quickly adjusting and nodding eagerly, Russetstripe placed the rat on the ground and started to eat, Demon working away on the carcass from the other side. They were so close their fur was touching as silently they ate. Leaf-bare was hard in the Clans—it could only be harder in the world of loners.

When they'd finished, the night-cloaked she-cat sat up, licking her lips in a satisfied way, and gave Russetstripe a sidelong glance, studying him carefully. Obviously even the aggressive rogue was not completely immune to the tom's inherent charm, and after a moment she spoke.

"You know," she drawled as if it was a routine matter, cleaning one paw in a nonchalant way. "It's not bad. Having you around." She glanced over at Russetstripe, and for a flickering moment, she looked almost shy before her haughty expression resumed.  
"Hmph." She grumbled before turning away, but not fast enough to miss the gratified, pleased smile that flashed across her ginger companion's face. That smile that had broken hearts, claimed lives—a mere rogue's pride was no match for it.

"Thanks, Demon."

^ ^ : ^ ^

The tall black-and-white StarClanner sighed, a mournful, windy sound that cast a breeze down in the forest below. He turned towards the starry tomcat at his side, flicking his ears as slowly the ginger warrior met his eyes. "You were learning," he observed. "Demon made you into a better cat—and a better warrior."

Russetstripe after a moment shook his head. "No." He meowed bitterly. "Yes, she helped me—but I didn't learn." A cold fury with himself entered his voice as he turned away, shaking his head. "I never learn."

His gaze had returned to the contents of the water, which had, without the tom's direct attention, reverted to the events of the present, where even now a horrific battle was taking place between the small WindClan leader and the giant rogue. The tortoiseshell skidded, slipped in a mud puddle, and the massive flame-colored tom snatched him, lifting him up for a death bite. Tallstar flinched—he knew this was a nine-lived leader, but still…

For some reason, the crazy cat set Ficklestar back down, but it was not out of compassion or a sudden change of heart. That simply wasn't the _way_ the ginger cat wanted to kill Ficklestar, and as they resumed battling, Tallstar sent a glance towards Russetstripe filled with compassion and horror.

"What's going on?" he asked, yet again. "Russetstripe, what's happening?"

Russetstripe sighed. "The Ficklestar's brother hired that rogue," he indicated with his tail the massive tomcat charging the tortoiseshell leader, "To kill him. As you can see, he's not doing much to help." With not scorn, but a soft sadness, he jabbed his dark orange tail at the piebald warrior who, indeed, was merely cowering back, ears flattened, making no move to help nor hinder his brother fighting for his life.

"Neither is your son," Tallstar pointed out, glowering with frustration. For the first time in many moons he became very aware, and very interested, in the affairs of the living. Usually it was only those recently past or those with unfinished business who gazed by the viewing pools, an act the black-and-white StarClanner had not done in a very, very long time.

Now? He found himself oddly fascinated by the scenes, both of the present and of Russetstripe's life. The ginger tomcat turned on him, teeth bared. "Assassin went to scout for danger," he spat, and despite himself Tallstar flinched back before delivering a cold stare back to the younger warrior.

"Well, I can't see anything that would be more dangerous than that rogue!" he growled. "He's _thrashing_ Ficklestar. I doubt Assassin could do anything anyway."

Russetstripe spat, voice suddenly bitter again as he lowered his head. "There's plenty he can do, has done," he said, and he was no longer angry—just old. Old, and bitterly wise. "Much more than any warrior—or rogue—should ever have to say they had. And it was all my fault…"

Tallstar flicked his tail anxiously. "Go on," he said urgently, fur on end as he stared at the screaming battle going on below. "I'm waiting."

He didn't have to wait long.

* * *

_w r i t e r c o m m e n t s – _

**-sigh- as I get into the characters I start getting depressed about what's gonna happen… urgh. Oh well.**

**Please review, lol, just to help me out and keep my inspiration flowing.**

**3 I get super excited when I get reviews lol.**

**You can just picture this crazy chick bouncing up and down in her chair.**

**Like ZOMG I HAVE A REVIEW AHH AHH AHH**

**Just like that. Lol. Russet licks youu 3**


	6. the calling

`` V I S I O N A R Y

&& there's ticks in the tansy

so i can't run through it

_Russetstripe is handsome, mysterious, and ultimately perfect—he's also long dead. Despite all his qualities, he can do nothing to help his son and daughter against a treacherous plot against the WindClan leader. Can he find the key through the past which eventually met in his end?_

**I don't know why I have to say this so much lol.**

**RUSSETSTRIPE AND CHARACTERS ARE MINE**

**Warriors and Tallstar do not belong to me.**

**I stoleded him like the thiefy Simp I am.**

**BORROWED! I MEANT BORROWED!**

**All Russet's history is pure mine**

**All present events are shared equally with Streakz.**

**AND I LOVE PEOPLE FOR REVIEWING**

**Even the confusing ones that don't make sense, ha ha.**

_**Orange: **_**read and review, please.**

**PREFERABLY **_**read**_** BEFORE you review.**

**It helps. Seriously. XD**

* * *

c h a p t e r f i v e – the calling.

_"I never learn…"_

It thrummed in Tallstar's ears like a booming heartbeat, a heart that had long stilled when the spirit had walked away from his mortal body. He longed suddenly to show Russetstripe his own tale, the vivid story of his life as he'd lived, WindClan leader—as he struggled to defeat the fierce and brutal Tigerstar who died by the paws of Scourge as all four Clans had banded together to fight the menace of BloodClan… but later.

They would have time for Tallstar's story later—because now, the only answer to the plot below might lie where Russetstripe had gone wrong. Somewhere, something had happened that had set this plot in motion—and probably killed Russetstripe as well, since he was far from old age when he'd entered Silverpelt. The black-and-white StarClanner glanced back at the pool, which had already resumed its images.

"Missed something…" the tall tomcat muttered as he quickly turned his attention on the scene. Having missed the entrance, he had no idea what was going on—there was no sign of Russetstripe or Demon. In fact—Tallstar realized with a jolt—it was back in WindClan, where the snow had coated the moorland. As details grew out, he recognized it finally as the camp—under a layer of a good few feet of snow.

The WindClan cats, being light, could walk on top of the icy crust—so this disadvantage of having no cover was not so much of a disadvantage. Still… Tallstar did not recall so much snow having fallen at any time in his own lifetime. "What's going on?" he asked, feeling annoyingly out of it.

Russetstripe hardly turned his head. "Northpaw heard what Icetail said, and it spread through the Clan like wildfire, especially when I ran away like the coward I was. They were _glad_ I was gone." Even all these moons later, there was hurt in the gingery spirit's voice as he watched the scene below. Tallstar realized he couldn't have ever seen this before—how could he, when at this same time he'd been hunting for rats with Demon?

Nearby the warriors den a plump brown queen-to-be was grooming herself cheerfully. "Congrats, Keensight!" a tom meowed as he brushed against the tawny pelt of the glowing she-cat, "Who's the father?"

The brown fela was about to reply when a smirking warrior slid past. "Not Russetstripe, surely?" the other tomcat asked innocently. Keensight spun, spitting, and turned a livid glare on the speaker.

"How's it any of your business? And of course not Russetstripe—that coward never so much as glanced at me," the warrioress spat, "Missed his chance, didn't he? If he ever comes back no she-cat will be able to bear being _around_ the likes of him." Her scornful laugh made the other cat chuckle as well.

An ice-white pelt squeezed past the three on her way out of the warriors den—Tallstar recognized Icetail almost immediately as her sharp green eyes flickered towards the conversation. At Russetstripe's name her ears flattened uncomfortably, and it looked like she was about to slip away when one of the cats turned and saw her.

"Hey Icetail!" the tom said brightly, lighting up and padding after her. "Wait up!"

"I don't want to talk to you," she said without even glancing back, "As I've told you before."

"But I really like you!" the cat objected, trying to keep up, "After what you said to Russetstripe…I'd always wanted to say it, you know, but never _dared…_ and you got him out of all of our fur!"

Growling, the she-cat turned on him, that flicker in her yellow-green eyes the warning spark before she burst into flame. "_Exactly,_" Icetail spat, "You liked me _after_ I said what I did to Russetstripe. You didn't give a rat's tail about me before, and Russetstripe was never as much of a pain as _you._"

Obviously this took the cat rather aback, as he blinked his surprise and hurt. The cat faltered and broke through the upper later of snow, tripping into a hole and falling back against Icetail's furious pace as she whirled and continued on her way out of camp. Tallstar had thought insulting the dark ginger tomcat would have been an easy way to her heart, but it seemed Icetail had a problem with _all_ toms. Strange…

"But…" the warrior said, almost to himself, then he shrugged and turned away. The glittering, alabaster pelt was gone.

Tallstar glanced over at Russetstripe, who extended one claw towards the pool and sent ripples cascading out from where his white paw touched the water. As the scene cleared it changed, focusing in on the dark ginger tomcat who lay in the haylot on a bale of molding straw, looking dreamy, eyes unfocused.

"Did you love Demon?" the former WindClan leader asked, watching the wave of sad longing wash over the young warrior's face.

Russetstripe glanced over, surprised, and a little guilty, before he sighed. "No. I cared about her—she'd saved my worthless life, after all—but I didn't love her. Nothing like how she felt about me. I had no idea…" His soft voice was musing, sad. Tallstar blinked at the vision in the pool and realized that it was no longer winter—this was a vision of spring, where the only snow was in small, scattered patches across the brilliant green plain.

He felt a pang of loneliness suddenly—the moor would look beautiful in this season. In Silverpelt the skies were ever-summer, ever bountiful—there'd been more than one time that the spirit had longed for the leaves to grow crimson and for snow to fall, for the silver ice to melt away into fresh newleaf all over again. Not in the afterlife.

It seemed Russetstripe was hit with this same nostalgia, for he too seemed quiet, sad. The younger version in the picture was staring out over the hills, looking torn, chewing on his lip. After a long moment the cat stood up, shaking out his pelt—and he looked determined. Noble, even.

He looked like a warrior.

Russetstripe stood up and leapt down from the higher beams, touching down nicely on the barn floor with a creak. A mouse scurried with surprise and Russetstripe killed it with a blow, leaving it on the ground for Demon as he padded towards the wide double-doors.

"Hey— where you going?" a voice meowed, and the inky rogue slipped out from behind one of the stalls. Her green eyes were curious, and Russetstripe turned towards her with a sigh.

"I'm going home, Demon," he said firmly, touching her with the tip of his tail. The black rogue sputtered with surprise, stepping back.

"You're _what?_" the she-cat asked, eyes stretching wide. "I thought you said your little tribe of kitties hated you now! That you had nowhere to go!"

Russetstripe's voice was gentle, and Tallstar admired him for that. "They do," he said. "But I am a warrior. And I do not fear the hatred of my Clanmates." Demon's eyes were almost pleading as he turned away. "You have been so kind to me, Demon," Russetstripe meowed. "And I will always remember you for making me who I am now. But I have to go back."

"I thought _this _was your home now!" the black she-cat said, voice small. "I thought… I thought you…"

"You have been a good friend, Demon—but you said yourself you could only support me through the winter. Perhaps we'll meet again someday—StarClan keep you well!" With a final wave of his plumy tail, the handsome tom padded out into the sunlight, leaving the night-cloaked she-cat crouching in the dark, ears flattened, a look of grief in her eyes as she watched the flamelike tom padding away.

Grief, betrayal, shock flooded through her eyes—and finally rage.

**^^ : ^^**

"And that--" the StarClan warrior told Tallstar in a quiet tone, turning his shaggy ginger head, "--was my big mistake."

Homesick for his Clan and his old life, Russetstripe had indeed failed to realize what would ultimately result in his end—that Demon was pregnant. Pregnant, and very, very angry.

In a cat like a rogue-- never a good combination.

* * *

_w r i t e r c o m m e n t s – _

**-random- you can't make hearts on here.**

**It deletes the chevron that's the pointy part.**

**3 3 3 it just looks like a random three.**

**I also can't use brackets. Which upsets me.**

**-insert scowly face and heart- **

**I'm sorry my chapters all are short**

**I basically break it off in sections,**

**Rather than chapters. I'm also sorry**

**That I write in this weird, broken up**

**Format, like this, where all the line breaks**

**End in weird places. But I'm random like that.**

**3 - BY THE WAY, that was a heart. Once.**

**Please review, after you read… lol.**


	7. the return

`` V I S I O N A R Y

&& meet me on the equinox

in the middle of the day

_Russetstripe is handsome, mysterious, and ultimately perfect—he's also long dead. Despite all his qualities, he can do nothing to help his son and daughter against a treacherous plot against the WindClan leader. Can he find the key through the past which eventually met in his end?_

**I wrote a poem for you all—it's called DISCLAIMER.**

**-clears throat- ahem. DISCLAIMER:**

**Russetstripe is a cutie-pootie**

**And if you steal him I'll kick your booty**

**And if you steal ANYONE else **

**I'll kick you so hard you get welts…**

**Asseh, Icetail, Orange and Demon**

**Are all mine, and if you take 'em I'll be screamin'**

**Warriors ain't mine, and neither is Tallstar**

**And if you take Streakz's charries I'll KILL YOUU.**

**BAM wasn't that a thing of BEAUTY?**

**I should get a career in that, right. I could be famous.**

**Yeah, okay, go on…**

* * *

c h a p t e r s e v e n – the return.

To Tallstar, it suddenly seemed like Russetstripe was no longer relevant or important to his story. He couldn't erase that image burned into his irises, that moment when Demon's face had twisted in agony, that infinitesimally small instant in which her face had been transformed into a mask of fury. The lone WindClan warrior returning home was suddenly a small matter to the black-and-white leader now. All he could think of was how he'd hurt the she-cat that had tried her best to help him—though perhaps it would have hurt her more to stay.

The StarClan tomcat had to admit a strange respect for Demon, despite her harsh attitude and obvious lack of a warrior's honor. That was to be expected—really, in the world the she-cat probably had to survive in, it was surprising she wasn't worse. Anything could happen outside the Clans, where there were no rules to play by—any cat was fair game.

"What happened to Demon?" Tallstar asked, slightly anxious, as Russetstripe concentrated on the scene within the pool. Even now there was that slight flattening of ears, that twitch of the whiskers, which was the ginger warrior's reaction to the name. _It must be a tender spot,_ Tallstar thought.

"I'll show you that in a minute," Russetstripe mewed, sorting through memories and past images which flashed half-revealed in the depths of the water. "I'll give you the good news first. But we have to hurry—don't have much time." Tallstar remembered belatedly the scene occurring in the present down below the nightly carpet of dusk, where the WindClan leader's life was in jeopardy. Somewhere in twolegplace a bloody battle raged, tainted with the flavors of betrayal and fear.

Russetstripe's skill in manipulating the viewing pool was considerable—he must have spent many days of the afterlife sitting here, watching his children grow up, watching the Clan he'd loved grow—watching perhaps Demon as she coped with his loss. As Tallstar mused finally the images grew still and the pool became milky.

"Here we are," the dark ginger tom said finally, letting out his breath. "Finally made it back. Almost forgot where the territory was… stupid me." A halfhearted _mrrow_ of laughter left his muzzle as the two tomcats stared down into the scene.

**^^:^^**

She was waiting for him, up on the hill—how she knew he was coming Tallstar had no idea. Perhaps she'd been waiting, hoping, every day since the time when he'd left—perhaps it was merely intuition on the warrior's part. Whatever had happened, when the chestnut-furred head of the ginger warrior first appeared through the long grasses of WindClan territory Icetail was waiting for him.

Tallstar could tell nothing from her expression, but he bit his lip with sympathy for the young, exhausted Russetstripe returning home. How cruel that the first face he see be the last one he'd witnessed as he'd turned and fled the territory—cruel that the she-cat who most despised him would be the one to 'welcome' him at the border.

He knew before the alabaster warrior opened her mouth that 'Welcome' was not on the tip of her sharp tongue. Russetstripe had been quiet, silent, as he'd continued to trudge on, to drag himself back home, and only when he was a tail-length away from Icetail's snow-white pelt did he halt.

Neither of them spoke at first—they measured one another up with their eyes, searching, measuring, thinking. Those jade-hazel orbs of Russetstripe were calmer, more mature—there was no fear, no expectance in his gaze. Tallstar could tell Icetail noted this as well as with a twitch of her long white tail she indicated her surprise at his new attitude.

"You're back," she said finally, a hint of chill in her tone. She didn't need to say much—the last time they'd met she'd spoken enough. Russetstripe met her eyes and lifted his chin—not arrogantly, but evenly.

"Yes," the tomcat said. "I've come back."

This was followed by another instant where the two simply surveyed one another, reading spoken and unspoken signals in one anothers bodies.

"Where did you go?" Icetail almost sounded _hurt_ for a moment before Tallstar realized it was defensive, almost angry. "Your stupid admirers nearly exiled me after I told them why you'd left—for StarClan's sake, Russetstripe, I wasn't trying to make you _leave."_ Her spat comment was hostile, but yet again there was that odd half-note of plaintive resentment in it.

"I'm sorry," Russetstripe said, tilting his head slightly as an expression of grief flitted across his face, "I was stupid—but I'm a better warrior now. Icetail, please forgive me for what I said and did. I deserved more than what you said." Icetail looked like she was about to spit something venomous at him before she realized he was sincere and flattened her bristling fur.

"Well, it doesn't matter what I think about it," she growled, "It's up to the leader at this point. Should we accept a runaway back into the Clan?" Her shrewd gaze crossed him again. "Why did you come back, Russetstripe?"

"I missed you."

"_What?"_

"Well, I missed the Clan, too—it was bearable through the winter, a rogue helped me, but when the snow melted and I began to feel the wind in the air, the scent of newleaf… and I was thinking, you know." Russetstripe's eyes suddenly burned with quiet desperation, his voice straining suddenly as it tumbled out in a flood from his mouth. "Icetail, I'll be honest—what you said to me all those moons back was the bluntest and cruelest anyone has ever spoken to me—it shocked me. But as I thought about it, even though I was hurt… you were the only one who was brave enough to be honest with me. The only one who was willing to do me the favor of telling me what I really am.

"I was spoiled, Icetail… I got whatever I wanted from whoever I wanted, and nobody dared to tell me the problems I left behind me. A pretty face isn't enough, and you showed me that. Over the winter I couldn't stop thinking about it, and about you…" He trailed off and flattened his ears with embarrassment, "I never respected my seniors. But you taught me a lesson that I'm unbearably grateful for, and I couldn't stop hating myself because you hated _me._ I couldn't forgive myself for earning that loathing. I realized if I never saw you again I could never repay that favor, and that all I wanted was to be good enough for _you…_

"And when I saw you waiting here, for me… I realized how much I'd really missed you. Icetail, I don't give a rat's tail about the kind of cat you still think I am—because I'm going to prove you wrong. And that's why I came back."

For a moment the she-cat was completely silent, dumbstruck. Her pink maw opened in shock, but no sound was released. Finally behind those clear irises ignited a blaze of pride that surged through her pelt, through her eyes and expression, and a smile broke out on the she-cat's face.

"Good answer," Icetail meowed as she covered her grin with a scowl, flicking her tail. "Come on. Embarrassingly enough, I've missed seeing your face—_even_ if you were a spoiled brat, at _least _you were a good-looking one. Now, let's get going, and we'll see exactly how much you say you've changed." Her eyes danced and Russetstripe leapt up to her side, a quiet purr rumbling in his throat. "_Maybe_ we can be friends."

"What, only friends?"

"_Yes_, ONLY friends."

"Aww, but I'm so cute!"

"Not _that_ cute. And you're not doing a very good job of convincing me."

"I'll win you over. You'll see."

"Whatever, Russetstripe."

**^^:^^**

As Russetstripe loosened hold of the memory and the scene dissolved, for a fleeting moment the expression of mingled fierceness and laughter on the senior warrior's face seemed familiar. As the vision of the present returned, Tallstar remembered who it was—Orangeflash, Russetstripe's daughter. Even now the vivid ginger-and-white warrioress was streaking towards the battling WindClanners and rogues in the city below…

"I take it you won her over?" Tallstar purred with amusement. "Since there's a certain resemblance between she and your daughter."

Embarrassment and laughter danced in Russetstripe's magnetizing eyes as he nodded, some of that legendarily 'cocky' attitude surfacing as he meowed, "Of course. How could you ever doubt? I wanted to show you that because it leads to, yes, my own daughter—who has a big part to play in this treacherous plot herself. She's a lot like Icetail, I think, though with a little less reason and a little more cocky, just like I am… and I've already showed you Assassin's mother. I don't know what's going to happen down below to Ficklestar—but if I know Icetail, I think Orangeflash is going to try and stop it. As for Assassin… well, you'll see.

"Now is the time for perhaps what could be to this problem the most important part of my life… the events that led up to, and the actual, scene of my death."

"Oh…"

"That's what I said."

* * *

_w r i t e r c o m m e n t s – _

**WELLP, I have not updated in a VERY LONG TIME**

**This is because silly me overloaded our bandwidth limit on the computer and WildBlue docked us and slowed our internet for like two weeks as a penalty until our download usage goes back down to under 70%. Currently it is at 88%, and I'm uploading this from school. **

**I really love Russetstripe… he's so cocky and cute, even in this serious scene lol. I love Asseh even more lol though you guys may never meet him unless I start a fanfic just for him… eep! Scary thought lol. On the other hand, I SERIOUSLY recommend Streakz's Fanfic for you guys, which is called 'Warriors- the Shattered'. It's Blackblizzard's tale, who is my NUMBER ONE favorite cat in the UNIVERSE! I have a collection of his fur-tufts lol.**

**Please read and review, peeps, I really appreciate that. Even if it's just like 'Yay' for a review, I'm quite glad to get it, lol. **


	8. the birth

**V I S I O N A R Y**

_seasons crying no despair_

alligator lizards in the air, in the air…

_Russetstripe—handsome, mysterious, and ultimately perfect. Unfortunately, he's also long-dead, and helpless to interfere in the affairs of the living as an unimportant entity of StarClan. But when danger and treachery threatens not only the current WindClan leader but Russetstripe's surviving offspring as well, will he be able to find an answer through the events of his own past?_

**I update in bursts, see.**

**I'm special like that, see.**

**Instead of writing regular updates say, once a week**

**I give you long stretches where you starve, and then I whip out a pile of them to stuff down your throat.**

**I'm great like that, see.**

**Please read--- and review, lol!**

**Thanks to those of you who've been sticking with me since the first chapter of Visionary, heh—I really appreciate it, lol! My short story with short chapters, awhh.**

**I heart youus.**

**Thieves of all characters will get beaten with a rake.**

**And then I will proceed to throw you in a puddle.**

**So THERE!**

**Russetstripe, Demon, and Assassin (the characters in this chapter) ALL belong to ME. I will gnaw off your fingers if you take them. Seriously.**

**Tallstar and Warriors are NOT mine. Take them if you wish!**

**Just write a long unnecessary disclaimer like I do and you'll be fine. 8D**

_c h a p t e r e i g h t - the birth._

He was born from a root of grief, of bitterness; born into a world where he would be used and broken, torn apart and made to feel so much pain he would block away his very soul. When the small black kitten made his entrance into the world which would show him such cruelty he had no idea of the darkness to come, nor the haunted path his small, dark paws would take. He knew nothing of his father—yet. He knew nothing but the warm, round belly of his mother—not even a sibling to share his newfound world with.

Demon felt nothing for her son—Tallstar knew it immediately, from the moment those harsh, icy green orbs locked place with the tiny, wet body of her single child. He was all she had left of Russetstripe—the StarClan leader didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad one. It was a difficult thing to know, to see inside the inky rogue's thoughts when her face was so cruelly impassive—but it was easy enough to see she harbored no love for the child her lover had left behind.

She'd given it all to him—all for Russetstripe. She'd fallen for him as so many others had, lost her sense and taken a chance. There was nothing left over—nothing but bitterness. Nothing but grief. It might as well have been hatred—because Demon was far too proud to admit that it had been her own mistake, to love, to fall, and not that of the dark ginger warrior to leave her. Too proud to think of anything but her smoldering need, burning desire, to hurt him as he'd hurt her. He'd stolen away the life she'd dreamed about when those snowy paws had padded back across the moor—and now, she would steal his.

Yet she could not.

In her cruel, twisted way, she still loved Russetstripe. Her only wish was for his death, for his pain—yet she could not bear the thought of doing it herself. Perhaps it was truly that she did not _want _to—perhaps it was the fear that she would not be able to carry it through, faced with his magnetizing hazel-flecked gaze. No—she cared nothing for the son that the tomcat had given her—all she cared about was what he could—and would—do.

So was spawned the silent tomcat; bastard son of a WindClan warrior—kitten soul already imprinted with the ghostly pawprints of those who would one day fear his name. Evil was not born, no—evil had to be created. The instant her starless muzzle shaped her child's name his destiny was shaped, formed, and created. Assassin, he was named—and Assassin he would become.

Tallstar watched in horror as it all began to unfold—it was clear Demon had no intention of letting the insult Russetstripe had dealt her fade away. No, from the beginning, she had a plan—as always. And her plan was to train her son—_their_ son—to kill. And the blood to coat those sleek black talons would not be _any_ cat's, no… it was the life of Russetstripe that Assassin would take, yes, for _her_. Born with a destiny—and the first part of Assassin's life would carry nothing but that training she would give him. As Russetstripe had ruefully learned in the moons he stayed with her—Demon was ruthless, temperamental, and utterly commanding.

Assassin soon learned that too.

* * *

The soft, ink-shaded fur coated the young tomcat from head to toe—not a single white fur broke the stretch of night-stained pelt. Infinitely dark, a creature of the shadows—born to step in silence, to carry death in his deadly claws, to fix his prey with haunting orange eyes before their whisper of fear could so much as escape from behind their muzzle.

At the moment, however, he just looked like a gangly kitten, awkward and lanky, of rather small size. His spidery limbs and wide, innocent gaze made Tallstar's heart warm—_this_ was the cat Demon expected to kill Russetstripe?

"Hey, Mom!" the little rogue mewed, skittering sideways and snapping at a leaf which floated lazily down from one of the trees above. "Watch what I can do!" The larger frame of Demon turned, and her harsh, piercing emerald gaze seemed to have no effect on her cheerful son, who leapt up into the air and pinned down the tattered leaf, fluffing out his short pelt in pride.

"I've told you before," his mother growled, lashing her tail, "To call me _Demon._ And your skills are pitiful—you'll need more, _much more_, to act out your future." She looked like she was about to go off into a lecture and turned her fierce eyes back towards her son as she opened her maw to go on.

He was chasing his tail, chirping slightly as he nipped at the long, skinny black cord.

"ASSASSIN!" Demon yowled, sending him flying with a blow of a paw. "We've been training since you opened your stupid little eyes, and you can't even catch your own ratty tail!" Tallstar flinched—that was harsh, and he could see the hurt behind little Assassin's tangerine gaze. He was around the age of a new apprentice—surely Demon wasn't expecting him to be perfect?

"All right then," Assassin mewed, "What do you want me to do?"

"Come here," Demon snapped. Bewildered, her son padded towards her and she hit him again, throwing him again to land painfully on the ground until he scrambled back up, orange eyes watering. "NO!" she snarled, lashing her tail. "SILENTLY!"

"But I'm not stalking," Assassin protested before flinching back, biting his lip, while his mother advanced on him.

"It doesn't MATTER whether you're STALKING or WALKING— you will make NO NOISE! From _now on,_ if I can _hear_ you, I'm going to _hit_ you."

"But…"

"That _includes_ with your _mouth!"_

Assassin clamped his jaw shut and nodded.

"Now—let's try again. Come here."

The shadowy rogue dropped into a crouch and crept towards her.

"WALKING. Go back and do it again."

Tallstar watched as Assassin tiptoed back and tried it again. And again. And again. Until Demon made him lead the way across acres of territory in the forest littered with twigs back to the barn, bruised and battered the tomcat as he made the voyage without sound until he collapsed in the corner where Russetstripe had once slept, his mother laughing cruelly in the background as she left to hunt for herself.

It was then the spidery tomcat began to cry, cry to himself curled up in the damp straw—to weep for his bruises and his feelings until finally he looked back up, chin firming, an expression of forlorn hope and determination entering his flamelike eyes as he resolved to go on.

_He's brave,_ Tallstar thought admiringly, though his stomach felt tight and sick with the knowledge of how Russetstripe's former mate was abusing him. _But how long can he take this_?

How long until his mother decided he was ready, and the dark ginger warrior who'd fathered him entered the ranks of StarClan himself?

**It's a little short, lol. Poor Asseh.**

**-sighs- I heart him.**

**He's always very quiet now…**

**Anyway lol. Please R-R**

**Arrrrgh I'm a pirate lol.**

**xD enjoy. I want to huggle young Asseh…**

**Seriously lol. Now I feel like drawing a picture.**


	9. the safety

**Welcome to the next chapter!**

**It's mainly about Orange and her youth, which explains a lot about how she got like she is… and also why Russetstripe is still sitting next to a viewing pool being nosy after like two years being dead. You'd think he'd go play with his little dead friends, but nooo…**

**Anyway. Fun fun. XD sorry about the loooong wait, tennis practice sucks the energy out of me and such, lol. Enjoy—review if you can, heh heh.**

_**Safety.**_

Russetstripe's orange tail waved merrily behind him as he trotted down a steep, sloping bank. Tall fronds of grass rustled as he pushed through them, that handsome face twisting into a sneeze as the tips tickled his nose. "Icetail!" he called, and his voice was terribly happy, though a little worried. "Icetail, where are you? You shouldn't be out here!" There was a grumble of protest from a clump of thin stalks nearby, and the dark ginger warrior steered towards it with another sneeze of laughter.

"You know you shouldn't be out of the nursery," the younger-Russetstripe reprimanded her, purring, as he batted at the screen of stems with a fluffy paw. "You're close to kitting." Tallstar's ears flicked in amusement, though he didn't dare glance at the longhaired StarClanner beside him for fear of what he might see.

"Hell I shouldn't!" that irritated voice drifted out of the long grass, "I'll do what I please, Russetstripe, and you can't stop me! At least you had the decency to _care_ about _these_ kits!" Tallstar flinched, expecting Russetstripe to recoil, hurt, but apparently the WindClanner was made of sterner stuff and just sighed. "I wish you would stop bringing that up," he told her, hazel-green eyes twinkling, "You're just grumpy because you're pregnant with the kits."

"Kit. There's only one. And I'm not pregnant anymore." Russetstripe squeaked with surprise and dismay and jumped through the screen. He nearly crushed Icetail, who snapped at him in protest, and only missed her by completely twisting in the air and rolling away from the snowy she-cat.

"You HAD the kits? Kit? Why didn't you wait in camp for a medicine cat! Why didn't you wait for meeee?!" the ginger warrior was still squeaking, "I wanted to be there! What if something had gone wrong?"

Icetail snorted and gathered their single kit closer to her belly. "I left the camp because I didn't want any nosy whiskers prying into my private business, and I didn't tell you because you'd be hopping around squeaking like a kit and being generally useless." There was a glaze of pain still to her eyes, but that defiant gleam that would someday sparkle in the eyes of her offspring. Tallstar could tell, without words, the _real_ reason she'd left—she hadn't wanted anyone to witness her pain, her secret weakness. It was a noble thought, at the least.

Russetstripe deflated, but perked back up again when he remembered he was a father. "Is it a tom or a she-cat?" he mewed, trying not to frisk with excitement, "Oh, Icetail, I'm so happy!" the older warrior sighed in defeat, her white fur masking a pair of very exasperated blue eyes. "Good. I'm happy too," she said softly, then as if remembering, made her voice sharp again. "And it's a she-cat. She'll have a face prettier than yours someday. Let's hope it's more useful." Russetstripe sneezed with good humor and leaned in to look at the kit.

The queen sensed what he was doing and gathered up the baby in her soft, warm paws, gently prying her away from her swollen belly. The kit grumbled in objection, but relented after a moment and allowed herself to be pushed forward. Fur that was already brilliant orange, a shade lighter than Russetstripe's dark tone, the hue of flame, stuck up on the kit's sides and back. On her muzzle and belly, along with the paws, it changed to snow-white, the same brilliant star-white of Icetail's pelt.

"What are we going to call her?" Russetstripe asked softly, curling his fluffy tail gently around the kit. The tiny creature vanished under the fluffy mass and he quickly withdrew it. "She's so… bright." It was all he could say, as if he could not take his eyes away from his child. Icetail drew her back to her belly. "I was thinking Orangekit, for obvious reasons."

The dark ginger warrior nodded his head so vigorously motes of golden dust flew away from his fur, lit up by the warm sunlight all around them. "Yes, yes! Orangekit. Oh, Icetail, I love her already. I don't want anyone to ever hurt her! What if she's not as tough as you? She looks so… delicate…!"

"She just got born, idiot, of course she looks delicate. Stop whining and help me up so we can take her back to camp. I'm going to get chewed out by the med, so we might as well go now. Take her to the warriors den while I try to wiggle out of it."

Russetstripe's dismay was obvious. "To the warriors den? But there's all sorts of nasty cats in there! What if they try to grab her?" his panic made Icetail frustrated, and she smacked weakly with an alabaster paw at him as he helped her up. "Like _who_, Russetstripe. Who's a nasty cat in the warriors den that might grab Orangekit."

"Umm… that one guy! The skinny old creep with the fur falling out!"

"He's dead, Russetstripe, his fur was falling out because he was a _corpse."_

"Oh. Why was he in the warriors den?! WELL, anyway, how about that black-and-white cat, you know? The young one that everyone says is a murderer?"

"For StarClan's sake, who are you talking about?!"

"YOU know, Icetail! He sleeps in the corner all woozy, being all zonked out all the time! That is a very bad influence!"

"Oh. _Him!_" Icetail snorted, "Fine, then take her straight to the nursery and sit around smiling at all the pregnant she-cats until I get back. You'd think little rogue-boy would be able to handle this, but I guess not! Hold Orangekit."

A little nervous, the tomcat bent his shaggy head and clamped gingerly to the kit's scruff. She was silent as he gently lifted her into the air. "There. That'll shut you up," Icetail said, satisfied, stretching luxuriously and moving slightly stiffly back through the grass. The dark ginger warrior followed that cloudlike tail, that expression of worry and complete happiness flickering in his eyes as he vanished into the grassland.

***

"Orangepaw, come back to the nursery!" it was Russetstripe's voice, and though obviously he was now older, that expression of youth had never left the handsome tomcat's face. The ginger she-cat turned towards him, vivid eyes blazing, and Tallstar flinched with surprise. Already her features were masked with beauty, as no more than a new apprentice—she already carried herself with an air of pride and ferocity that reminded the former leader of her mother.

"No!" she snapped, sending a sizzling swipe in her father's direction which he dodged. Quickly he bundled her forward with his dark orange paws, trying to pin the spitting apprentice down. "Orangepaw," he told her severely, "Just because you've been an apprentice for a day doesn't mean you can play outside yet!"

"ACTUALLY, it _does_, and take your filthy paws off me, I'm going hunting! You're not my mentor, you can't tell me what to do!"

"ACTALLY, I _am_ your mentor—I had a word with the leader, and he agreed I was a more positive influence than…what was his name? I can't remember, but I don't want him leading you in the wrong direction."

Orangepaw actually stopped struggling in astonishment and despair, those amazingly bright eyes going suddenly flat. For a moment Tallstar realized just how hard she was struggling to break away from Russetstripe, to become herself…

Then fury flooded back into her eyes and she snapped her flame-white muzzle around to bury teeth into that paw, drawing blood, to which Russetstripe let out a yowl of pain and let go of her. "Stay away from me!" she yowled, "I wish you'd _die!_ How can you _do _this to me? I hate you!" she raced away, out of camp, already distasteful of the rules and the warrior code.

Russetstripe gingerly lapped at the blood on his paw as the white figure of Icetail materialized behind him. "She's a firey one. I can't believe you just did that, Russetstripe—her mentor was a good warrior. Better than you. She won't thank you for that."

The handsome tom sighed. "I just don't want her to get hurt, Icetail. There's terrible, terrible cats in this camp. She'll be safer with me."

Icetail's cold, icy gaze was sharp. "You just don't get it, do you? She's not a baby anymore. The last thing she wants is her stupid father hovering over her shoulder. I'll be surprised if you can get her to do a _thing_ as long as you're her mentor."

Russetstripe's eyes were faraway and solemn. "All the better. If she doesn't learn how to fight, she'll never have to enter battle. She's my little girl, Icetail…"

Icetail whipped around and sunk her teeth into the tomcat's shoulder. He let out a yowl of pain and jumped back to face her flashing gaze. "You told me _I_ was your little girl once, and I nearly took your ear off," she growled, "You're disgusting."

With that she turned and stalked away, Russetstripe standing behind, astonished, wondering what he did wrong. Tallstar watched as the next two moons passed in flashes, Russetstripe's daughter striking, fighting out against the weight of her father's protection. Two moons of a terrible, by any standards, apprenticeship, in which Orangepaw learned less than nothing. If anything, she only became _more_ stubborn. Tallstar could see where she'd gotten it, because Russetstripe refused to heed his mate's desperate urgings to leave her alone…

***

"It's not over yet." Russetstripe told Tallstar almost before the former leader could digest what had just happened. "You've seen the birth of both of my kits, now—and the very different directions I led them in."

Assassin, the young black tomcat with Russetstripe's lighthearted spirit, trained from the moment of his birth to kill. Orangekit, born in the Clan, with the fierce spirit of her mother, furiously trying to escape the desperately protective clutches of her father.

Though Tallstar could easily learn to hate Russetstripe for how he'd abandoned Demon, easily loathe Demon for how she abused her son—the plight of Orangepaw was almost worse. She was determined to be true to herself, no matter what; even if the warrior code barred the way. Tallstar couldn't help but respect, admire that, and Russetstripe's efforts to block that passionate spirit frustrated him.

Obviously Russetstripe even now couldn't see his own mistake—he seemed perfectly content in how he'd treated his daughter, and his unhappiness began only after his death had freed her. "I want her to be safe," Russetstripe confided, staring at the pool, "And this is… probably the most dangerous thing she could do."

The scene returned yet again to the battle scene happening in twolegplace, the WindClan leader and the rogue battling, fighting, with the dark wiry shape of Assassin racing desperately towards the two just as the tortoiseshell collapsed in a spasm of death.

The ginger rogue threw back his head to gloat, and Assassin's speed slowed, moved down, as he sat before the massive creature. The murderer seemed surprised to see such a skinny cat merely sitting there, watching him. Tallstar caught a glimpse of Assassin's cold eyes, splinters of tangerine ice, right before he whispered something that chilled Tallstar's heart. "You're my target…"

The cat the WindClan leader had fought with so bravely, so valiantly; a cat whose claws were stained with the blood of many a warrior—it took less than a second for Assassin to avenge his leader. Less than a second in which a blur of infinite blackness flickered, then sat back calmly as the giant toppled, unable even to lift a claw in defense. Crimson spilled from a wide red smile that had appeared across the cat's throat as he died. The tom who'd killed him was emotionless, calm. It was not hard to figure out how Russetstripe had died, having seen this display of incredible skill. Skill in death.

Demon had done her work well. Tallstar remembered for a moment the lighthearted kitten, dancing in his mother's shadow. Now the only thing that danced about the cat were the flames in that shadowed gaze.

"That's why they call you Assassin, isn't it?" Blackblizzard croaked from where he'd fallen, swiped aside by a single blow of the ginger rogue. Assassin's narrow eyes turned to him.

"Yes," the tom said softly as blood-scent stained the air, "That's why they call me Assassin." With that, the cat turned his face to the floor to grieve.

Tallstar dared not look at Russetstripe as that odd, sad expression crossed his face. "Enough. Time to watch where he learned it from." Russetstripe's soft sigh blurred through the air as the vision re-formed, the final one—that of the tomcat's death.

OMAI

**I decided I really don't like Russet.**

**I knew he did this, and I had the plot planned out and such…**

**But I liked him a LOT better in the chapters before.**

**When he got all stupid shelter-y and all I wanted to smack him.**

**It's HIS fault Orange is so stubborn and doesn't dance in the rain more often.**

**Jerk. Assehs' got TWO big jerks for a mommy and a daddy.**

**Hehehehe. This fanfic will be done soon… next chapter will be about Russet's death. And the lesson he learns. Lol. Phew!**


	10. the fall

Here comes Chapter Ten—I should be doing homework, but I couldn't wait lol. Actually, it's rather a good thing I wrote that stupid chapter about shelter-y Russet, because now I won't feel so awful about killing him… lol. Anyway, hope you enjoy!_CHAPTER TEN-_

_the fall._

Anticipation and dread thudded in Tallstar's starry blood as his sharp eyes locked almost fearfully on the vision forming in the pool. Over his nine lives he'd seen many a cat die, many a cat killed—ending with his own, final death. But the fact that Russetstripe was ready to _show_ him his murder, and having seen the events of the present where Assassin's claws had struck so swiftly…

Well, the tomcat had technically done a great service—avenging his leader and destroying an incredibly dangerous and unbalanced rogue. It was the complete lack of emotion in the dark warrior's eyes as he'd slit the giant tom's throat, the utter expertise with which he completed the act, that unnerved the former leader so greatly. The rogue had swatted aside an experienced warrior like Blackblizzard away with a paw, and crushed the Clan Leader to death between those massive jaws. An unbelievably dangerous opponent—but he'd fallen with a stroke of Russetstripe's son's claws.

Had those same claws felled Russetstripe as well? Tallstar felt a strange reculance to see the events that might transpire, a reculance to see that young, dark form with the dancing eyes erased and replaced with that cold, professional aspect that the tomcat had just shown below. _Russetstripe said he was a warrior—did Ficklestar know Assassin was like this when he let him join his Clan?_

The large, starry ginger form at his side sighed as finally the shattered fragments of memory eased into a smooth, flat plane within the stellar surface of the water. "Here we are," the tomcat meowed quietly, "As I said—the end of a long story. I hope I haven't bored you, Tallstar."

"No, no," Tallstar said quickly, flinching slightly, "By a contrast, I am quite intrigued. I had heard the events in my Clan were growing difficult, and I'm quite surprised to see this all. I must be quite out of touch with the living world, I'm afraid."

"Good," Russetstripe said, nodding vigorously, "And I would be the same—sometimes those fields are tempting, but I can't abandon my daughter. I have to make sure she's safe." For a moment that voice was almost shrill, frantic. "She's in terrible danger—Assassin killed that rogue, but Blackblizzard was the one who sent him… and Orangeflash is right about to walk into his trap. Something happened between them earlier, something I missed…"

"How could you miss it? What do you mean?"

"Icetail stopped by to chat, and I took my eyes away the pool for a few minutes to talk to her—and next time I looked, Blackblizzard was on his way to camp to trap Ficklestar, and Orangeflash was taking off after him!"

Tallstar's eyes widened. "What did Icetail say?"

Russetstripe toed the soft earth beneath this paws in frustration. "Something about how I'm wasting my afterlife peering over our daughter, and that she can take care of herself—but _obviously _she _can't_—look at everything that's happening! Every time that woman pops in here to lecture me, I miss something…!"

Abruptly the black-and-white leader remembered there was a memory waiting for his attention, and turned his clear gaze back to the pool without making a comment. _Icetail's right… the last thing she'd want would be Russetstripe's guidance…_

***

"Orangepaw! Will you _please _just listen to me?!" the Russetstripe in the scene looked desperate and frustrated—his shining pelt was marred with scraps of dust and grass, and he looked wild. "I don't want you to get _hurt_, you have to stay _away_ from the borders. I'll talk to the leader and get you off border patrols…"

"Screw that," the apprentice spat, her brilliant fur fluffed up in a storm of fire as those intense eyes shimmered with fury, "You don't tell me what to do!" Russetstripe's eyes were cool and disapproving as he reminded her, "I _do_ tell you what to do—I'm your father and your mentor!"

"No you're _not—_you're not the _only _one who can pop into the leader's den and whine and throw a fit until you get your way—there's going to be a ceremony tomorrow to change mentors." Orangepaw's molten gaze was shimmering with triumph. Russetstripe reeled back in shock, a stormy look gathering on his brow.

"You are absolutely _impossible!"_ the larger tomcat shouted, lashing his fluffy tail in agitation, "You're worse than your mother!"

"Oh, go cry me a river," Orangepaw snapped, turning and stalking away. She paused for a moment against the wind, the sun lighting up her vivid pelt as the breeze ruffled that long fur. Her look of scorn was the last Russetstripe would ever see as, agitated, he watched her vanish out of camp. There was no way he could stop her.

The sun crested noon and began to fall; the lazy warmth of late afternoon filtering through the camp as WindClan stopped to rest and share tongues. Orangepaw wasn't back yet—and Tallstar could tell from the expression of worry on the tomcat's face that Russetstripe was already worrying.

"Icetail," he stopped the snowy she-cat as she padded by, sounding urgent, "Have you seen Orangepaw? Do you know where she went?"

The crystalline warrior gave him a look down her nose that was very similar to her daughter's. "Probably as far away from you as she could manage," she said dryly, "Try the borders. She's probably bound to head there, since you forbade her not to." The she-cat sniffed, touched him with the tip of her tail, and sauntered away from the very mournful tomcat.

Russetstripe got to his feet and bounded out of camp, looking terribly concerned, and broke into a complete run as he crested the gorse ridge. Just as he vanished from view, the brilliant figure of Orangepaw padded into camp from the other direction, stretching luxuriously. "Is it time for my mentor-changing ceremony yet?" she meowed, cheerful. "I can't wait. Maybe I'll actually be able to _talk_ to some of the other apprentices."

Her mother purred and brushed whiskers with her kin. "It will be soon," she assured her daughter, "And you won't have to worry about your father, he just left camp looking for you." Orangepaw let out a meow of laughter, pleased, and trotted off towards the hollow where the apprentices slept, probably to boast or some such.

An expression of minor forboding crossed Icetail's serene face for a moment, until she glanced over and saw another cat watching her curiously. "What're you looking at?" she snapped at the tom, and he turned away, embarrassed, as she padded away.

***

Russetstripe pressed his sculpted nose to the ground and bounded along the border. The small section of forest that lay within WindClan territory was the only part concealed enough that he could not immediately sight out his daughter's vibrant pelt, and he was sure she was here. He'd tried to track her, but she was already experienced enough in that aspect that she could obviously cover her trail.

He was so focused, so worried— desperately searching for his little girl that could probably fight off a whole Clan by herself—that his senses could not, did not pick up the scent of an intruder—a border trespasser. His hazel-green eyes scanned the brush for the sight of orange fur, not of orange eyes; a pair of flamelike slits glittering in the half-darkness of sunset.

The cat who watched was near invisible, a creature of the shadows; not given away by the glint of fur or the shine of claws; not even the sound of his breath alerting Russetstripe to his danger. The tomcat slid along the branch of the tree, light and soft; each footfall noiseless as if nothing had ever been there at all.

This was, after all, what he'd trained his whole life for. If he'd been a Clan cat, he would have aged only as the newest of warriors—in the rogue world, this was his initiation. The act he had to complete to prove himself.

_What are you going to do, Assassin? _Demon had asked him, _Where are you going?_ The tomcat had answered, quietly, immediately, as she'd taught him. "I am going to find Russetstripe." The answer was flat, and held none of that young sparkle Tallstar had seen in him as a kit. _And what is Russetstripe? What is he, Assassin?_ She whispered.

"He's my target."

There was no more emotion in that voice than there had been when the older version's needle-sharp claws had torn across Firestorm's exposed throat, no more emotion in this assertion of murder than there had ever been. And now the thin, black rogue perched in the shadowy tree, waiting his turn, biding his time—the flamelike irises the only slits of light in the smoke and ash of his form.

The large ginger tom was turning his head, calling, "Orangepaw! Orangepaw, come home! It's dangerous out here!" when he was attacked. He had no warning, no expectation, and it was only by pure chance that he was not killed at once.

Assassin struck with precision, but Tallstar noted almost immediately that he was rough, unrefined—whatever expertise he'd shown on the night in the present had not yet been built into his blood. The claws were just as sharp, just as clever—but they were not yet so dangerous that Russetstripe could not put up a fight.

With a yowl of surprise and pain, the longhaired warrior threw himself sideways, crushing the spidery tomcat beneath his weight as he rolled. Assassin let go, spitting, and crouched down for only a moment before immediately attacking again. Russetstripe seemed dazed, shocked, and he very nearly missed death once again as those dark thorns sizzled past his throat. Throwing up a huge paw to block the smaller cat, the tabby roared in outrage and bit down on the black rogue's shoulder.

The night-cloaked tomcat did not so much as yelp, just slashed with the other paw viciously, cutting a dark scratch above the ginger warrior's eye. Russetstripe _did_ yelp, and leap away, but immediately prepared himself for the flurry of claws that slashed and bound at his body, tucking his white paws underneath him and driving himself forward with an infuriated yowl.

"Who are you!" the tomcat roared, "Why are you here?!" Assassin did not deem to grace this question with a response and merely slid beneath the larger cat's belly, aiming to gut. Tallstar revised his earlier opinion—though he'd been trained well, Assassin was still too young and inexperienced to take down a warrior like Russetstripe. Demon had underestimated her former mate.

Catching the dark rogue in his claws, Russetstripe wrestled the spidery cat beneath him. Both of them bled freely from scratches in their shoulders and haunches, and the gash above the warrior's eye dripped and stung his eyes. Finally the older tom pinned the rogue beneath him and gasped out, "Do you yield?"

Tallstar felt a shiver of uncertainty run down his back—he couldn't stop thinking about how lighthearted, how spirited Assassin had been once. Was this what Demon had done to him? Made him a soundless killer? When was the last time the cat had cried, since his kithood?

When the rogue spoke, the black-and-white leader felt incredibly relieved that the flat, harsh look was neither in his gaze nor voice. Challengingly, Russetstripe's son hissed, "I will never yield—not until you are dead!"

Green eyes rolled as exasperatedly the warrior sighed. "Why so violent, little rogue? I've never done anything to you— who are you, anyway?!"

Defiance gleamed in Assassin's sharp orange eyes as he meowed, ringingly, "I am called Assassin, son of Demon; and you are Russetstripe of WindClan!" Choking, the tabby recoiled, staggering backwards and freeing the starless stray, who was immediately on his feet and lunging. Russetstripe was now on the defense, only barely blocking the blows his son threw at him.

"Son of _Demon?!_ Oh, StarClan!" he was choking in his shock. Those green eyes shone in utter astonishment and horror as they crossed the expressive, sculpted visage of the black tomcat before him. "StarClan… you're my son!" he choked. Assassin was colored like his mother, but there was no mistaking those glimmering eyes, that angular face—that slightly lanky, good-looking form.

With another pounce, the inky tomcat had pinned his father to the ground, the cat still too stunned and horrified to even put up a struggle. Triumph gleamed in Assassin's bright gaze as he met his father's eyes, triumph as great as those in Orangepaw's as she'd confessed what she'd done.

Russetstripe's effort to resist faded, slowed, until he was merely still, chest heaving with breath, Assassin's slender weight holding him easily down. They met one another's eyes, and there was no fear or pleading in them. Just sadness. They were both still for a long moment.

"Please," Russetstripe said softly, "just…just do it. I… I am so sorry… please, forgive me, Assassin…" he closed his eyes as he begged his spirit to go to StarClan, though he would not deserve it, after all he'd done…

After a moment he cracked an eye back open, noting he was not dead, and saw Assassin still standing there. That harsh, defiant gleam in his eye was gone now, replaced with a twinkle of lighthearted mischief that was very like Russetstripe himself, a twinkle that told Tallstar that Demon had failed after all.

"Do you yield?" the black tomcat asked with a quirk of the whiskers.

Russetstripe was struck completely speechless.

**This has got to be my favorite chapter.**

**One of the best things I've ever written, I think.**

**I've always made a lot of references to this scene ^^ **

**But I've never actually written it out. I actually got really emotional.**

**Lol. Please read and review xD I'd love that lol. This is the last chapter before the epilogue. **


	11. the promise

**Here we go. Not wasting no time on my end. **

**This is the end of the story, oyay!**

**Thanks to EVERYONE that's stuck with me, or anyone that's read this. It's 'cause of you guys that I could finish up this short story at all. Thank you especially Streakz, because of her awesome characters and awesome reviews, and her awesomeness in general. Enjoy the last chapter! **

_Epilogue_

_the promise._

It was a pity that though in the end Assassin's spirit and compassion had won out, his father was killed anyway. But it wasn't by Assassin—Demon herself witnessed her son's failure and attacked. Russetstripe's death was witnessed with utter horror by the black tomcat, and the scene itself broke him. The inky rogue later fled into the city to fight for his life and learn those cold, hard lessons Demon had tried to teach him the hard way. It was there he truly became his namesake, long after Demon was killed herself by no other than…

Icetail. After the border patrol picked up Russetstripe's body, she went out hunting revenge. When the two she-cats; darkness and light; met, they tore one another apart. They died still trying to pull another square of fur out of the other one's pelt. Later in StarClan they met again and tried to finish the battle, something that didn't work well.

Orangepaw actually flourished under her newfound orphan status, quickly getting over the death of both her sheltering parents and branching out admirably under the guidance of her new mentor. Her disgust of her father and in his shallow personality that equally shallow she-cat had sought so valiantly gave her a lifelong dislike for her own gender. Her friendship and popularity with tomcats worked rather in her favor as she vowed to be single forever the moment she got her warrior name. Assassin and Orangepaw met in Twolegplace and quickly developed a friendship before they even knew they shared the same father—this break in Assassin's cold shield caused him to realize he wasn't cut out for rogue life, and in late winter he traveled to the Clan to ask to be accepted. He entered an apprenticeship under Ficklestar himself, two cats close to the same age, and became fast friends. He became a loyal warrior.

***

"So here we are," Russetstripe told Tallstar, who had been very quiet through the last overview. "My life—my kits. You asked how Assassin became a warrior, and now you know—and you know he's got the true heart of one." Russetstripe's eyes became almost challenging, daring Tallstar to disagree, and quickly the leader nodded his head.

"Indeed!" Tallstar meowed, "I will admit, I had my concerns when he killed that rogue, but it obviously shook him up about as much as it did that cat who was watching. Blackblizzard? Ficklestar's brother, you said?"

"Indeed. The two have hated each other for a long time… Orangeflash loathes him, and Assassin does too. I'll be surprised if he isn't banished." Russetstripe sounded almost smug as he brought the scene back up. "Oh, we missed a little—sorry. Looks like my daughter finally arrived to save the day. Oh… erm…" he trailed off as he saw the ginger form crash not into the traitor Blackblizzard, but the blood-splattered form of the WindClan leader.

"What's she doing?" Tallstar demanded, shocked, watching Russetstripe's daughter bundle the smaller tomcat off the black-and-white tom's chest. Russetstripe was hyperventilating, and his voice was shrill. "See?!" he squeaked, "See what happens when I'm not there?!"

"Shut up," the leader snapped, leaning in to watch, "She's saying something…" the cat had released her leader and had bounded back to the fallen traitor's side, meowing something…

_"Sorry I'm late…"_

***

It had been a day or so below when Tallstar returned to the viewing pools to check on Russetstripe. The fluffy ginger cat was perched next to his same pool, watching gloomily the scene inside. Tallstar came up quietly behind the warrior.

The tabby didn't even turn his head. "Look at her," he growled quietly, sharp eyes locked on the flamelike form racing across the moor in his vision. Tallstar leaned in—she seemed to be dancing, racing down the grassland with the wind blowing her fur. She seemed happier than Tallstar had ever seen her—why was Russetstripe so angry?

"What's wrong with that?" the black-and-white leader asked curiously. "She's running through the territory looking happy."

Russetstripe hissed his frustration and threw a paw at the pool, breaking and shattering the reflection into a million ripples as he turned towards the leader, eyes dangerous. "She just _left_ the Clan, is what _she_ did!" the dark ginger warrior hissed.

Tallstar twitched an ear, surprised. "So did you, at one point, you know."

"That was different! Do you know _why_ she's leaving?! _I_ left because I thought the Clan would be better off without me—she knows _very_ well how important she is, and she's leaving anyway!"

With a sigh, the StarClan tom scratched an ear. "No, Russetstripe, I don't know why she's leaving. Want to fill me in?"

The image re-formed in the pool, and it was night—from the blood still caking the fur of Blackblizzard and Ficklestar it was the same night that the battle in twolegplace had taken place. At the foot of the Windy Tree sat the cat who'd tried to kill his leader and brother; the pibald form of Blackblizzard. In the tree above him was his brother. The Clan was circled around them, some hissing, some looking shocked. Tallstar got it—this was a trial. A trial for Blackblizzard.

His eyes picked out the thin, dark form of Assassin sitting in the front row next to a giant tabby she-cat. His orange eyes were gleaming with admiration for his leader—and with promise. He wanted Blackblizzard gone.

Orangeflash, however, had shrunk down, fur and ears flattened, facing the other direction, looking completely torn. Blackblizzard was trying to defend himself, and her ears slowly raised and she hesitantly turned her head, meeting his eyes.

Something passed between the two and Tallstar recognized it immediately, a blossom of sorrow swelling in his chest. It was like a lightning bolt. Orangeflash, who'd sworn never to fall in love, had done just that—and she'd chosen Blackblizzard.

As the new exile walked, head down, a path clearing for him out of his hissing former-Clanmates, he paused for an instant in which he whispered something to Russetstripe's daughter. She tried not to meet his eyes and stared at her feet as he left the camp forever. Slowly, her eyes lifted, and they moved to Ficklestar, still standing proud in the leader's place—and they were so icy cold Tallstar took a step back. Ficklestar had just banished his brother, and something told him Orangeflash was not a cat who forgave easily.

She left the next morning. No wonder she was so happy—she was exiling herself, banishing her own pelt from the Clan to be with the cat she thought had done right. Tallstar shook his head and bit his lip in raw admiration.

Russetstripe was wailing in the background. "How could I have been so _stupid? _If I'd known, maybe I could have sent a sign to her somehow… something to tell her to stay away from Blackblizzard…! Oh, this is _horrible!"_

A very dry, icy voice came out of the darkness and Tallstar turned his head, surprised, to see Icetail slip out of the shadows. "Then perhaps it's a _good_ thing you didn't know," she told her mate coldly, "She would have gone just in the opposite direction, just to spite you. You just don't get it, do you?"

Russetstripe turned towards her indignantly. "Get what? Get that my only daughter is leaving WindClan to be with an exiled traitor?"

Icetail spat. "You don't think it's a _little_ weird that you haven't moved on by now? Why do you have to consider it your life goal to meddle in our daughter's business? She's got her own life, she's making it herself, and there's _nothing_ you could or should do about it." Her fury made Russetstripe deflate.

"But…" he trailed off, bristling, "EXILED!"

Tallstar chipped in, eyes blazing, lifting his chin. For a moment he was a true StarClan leader, pelt shining with so much starlight he was hard to look at. "If your daughter has left the Clan, it is because she truly believes it was the right thing to do—and that she really and truly loves Blackblizzard." His eyes flashed as he drew himself up. "As her _father_, you should be satisfied that she's happy. Icetail is right—not only are these… visions… unhealthy, but they're _very_ invasive and _very_ cruel to your daughter. If Icetail hadn't interceded, you would have trespassed on several _very_ private moments. Am I right, Icetail?" he met her eyes and she nodded.

Russetstripe squawked and jumped around to look at her. "You _knew_ I was missing important visions?!" he demanded, outraged. Icetail struck him with a paw on the side of his head, making him stagger. "All I _knew_ was that my daughter's private life was getting snooped out by her father," she growled. "How would you have liked it if you knew your _mother_ was watching you every second of your mortal life?" Russetstripe flattened his ears in chagrin.

Tallstar remembered how Icetail had left the camp to be on her own when she birthed Orangeflash—of course she understood privacy, and instinctively she'd been protecting her child from the prying eyes of Russetstripe all this time. No wonder the tomcat was frustrated!

"You hear me, Russetstripe," Tallstar told the cat slightly more gently, "I have sat here and watched your whole life—I think I understand you about as well as any cat could. And I am telling you that you cannot go on like this." Slowly Russetstripe looked, a desperate flicker in his eyes, back at the vision in the pool; Orangeflash running beneath the dark cloud cover, tiny hailstones peppering her fur as she flew through the storm.

"Don't you want her to be happy? She _is_, now. If you really love her, let her go… I just want your promise. That you won't watch her anymore. It's not _right_, Russetstripe." Icetail said softly, eyes clouding over. The ginger tomcat moved, nodded, slowly and achingly, and shut his eyes. He extended one paw towards the pool and the vision faded, the milky depths turned clear once more.

"It is done," the tomcat said in a voice swimming with regret, but also with new strength. "She has that right."

Icetail flicked him with her tail in relief and circled him, steering the gloomy tom towards the glittering fields beyond where the cats of StarClan could hunt in peace among the stars. "You did well, Russetstripe," she told him, "She'll be better off without you. Come on, I'll introduce you to a few cats." Their tails wound together as pawstep by pawstep they faded, only a trail of glittering stardust where their paws had touched the earth.

***

Russetstripe glanced around him for a moment before he tiptoed to the edge of the pool. Within the depths swirled a thin, dark tomcat; eyes of fire, by the name of Assassin. The tabby settled down, tucking his white paws beneath him, and chuckled quietly to himself as the next set of visions began.

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_**THE END!**_

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**Snoopy Russet's gonna spy on Asseh now xD**

**Ah well. Asseh might actually appreciate it, if he's lucky. **

**XD thanks to everyone that read and reviewed this story.**

**Tallstar and Warriors are copyright to Erin Hunter.**

**Ficklestar and Blackblizzard are copyright to Streakz**

**The plot between BlackxOrange was designed by Streakers and Meself**

**And all other characters including Russetstripe himself, his mates, his children, his associates, and anyone else in the story besides them ^^ are copyright to myself.**

**If you steal I'll seriously break down and cry.**

**Then I'll get mad and come kill you and put your arms in a dehydrator.**

**Thank you all SO much for reading!**


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